Miss. deputy fatally shoots armed suspect

BARTON, Miss. — A Marshall County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a suspect Monday afternoon after the man came out of a mobile home with a cocked pistol, Sheriff Kenny Dickerson said.

"The deputy was responding to a 'shots fired' call," Dickerson said. "When he arrived on the scene, he met first with a female who gave him some conflicting information.

"Moments later, a man came out of the mobile home with a pistol in his hand, acting in a menacing way toward the officer."

Dickerson said the deputy, whom he did not identify, fired his service weapon, fatally injuring the man.

"We're sorry this happened, but the deputy had no choice under the circumstances," Dickerson said. "He acted as he should have acted. As far as I'm concerned, this was a justifiable shooting."

Dickerson identified the man who was killed as Bailey Pearson, 34. He was wanted for violation of probation regarding a previous conviction for selling crystal meth, the sheriff said.

Dickerson said the mobile home had been shot up Sunday night and during the day Monday.

"Several rounds had been fired inside the mobile home," Dickerson said. "The pistol he (the victim) had had the hammer cocked, and the pistol contained live rounds."

"We're going to try to get some counseling for the deputy and, of course, this will be investigated by an outside agency. I've asked the Mississippi Highway Patrol to come in and help us with the investigation."

Dickerson said the victim "may have had several self-inflicted gunshot wounds" from shots he fired during the day. The shooting occurred about 4 p.m. in the Barton community, off Miss. 309 near DeSoto Road.